California Dreaming
by WeAreTheOutsiders
Summary: After completing sophomore year without killing each other, Rodrick and Emma are now on summer vacation. But when no friends and family are around to cast opinions, will these two actually hit it off? Or will a secret destroy their newfound friendship forever? RodrickxOC
1. The Struggle was Real But its Summer Now

**Hi guys. I don't really know what to say, except here is the first chapter of the 2nd book. I hope you like it, but if you don't then thanks for stopping by anyway. For those who are new or don't know, this is the sequel to Love Will Find A Way. You should check it out, even though it's crap. So yeah, thanks.**

It was a struggle, but I made it. Everyone had been waiting for this moment since the first day. All of the eyes in my Algebra II class were on the clock above the teacher. The final bell rang singling the start of summer vacation. Amber threw all of her notes into the air High School Musical style and shouted, " Peace out bitches! Hawaii here I come!" Unfortunately for Amber, Hawaii will be coming later than she thought. Mrs. Fields had her stay back and pick up any trash left behind. Paisley laughed her way out of the class.

"What are you doing this summer?" Paisley asked as we walked down the almost empty hallway. I had cleaned my locker out the day before.

I shrugged my shoulders," I don't know. Maybe hang out with Luke before he heads off to college. My mom said we should spend 'quality time' together." Paisley made a face.

" Well if you ever get bored you can always-"

" Come and see my band play," Rodrick crept up behind us.

Paisley cleared her throat, " Rodrick."

"Painsley," he scoffs then bows slightly in front of her.

Paisley and Rodrick broke up a week after Valentine's Day. They both came to me for therapy. Not at the same time, but they came. And I learned things about them that I wish I never learned. I took one of the flyers from Rodrick's hand.

" I'll consider it."

" Catch you guys later," he smiled then dashed off to meet up with Ben and Chris. I waved goodbye, and kept waving goodbye until Paisley slapped my hand down.

" Could you not try to be so friendly with him? Can't we go back to hating each other? I preferred that Rodrick," She pushed the door to the school open, and we walked out into the hot sun.

" He was making my life a living hell, and don't forget yours also."

* * *

" Thy precious second born hath returned home from battle! Hath thou made cookies? Or maybe Bagel Bites?" I didn't get a response, so naturally I went into the kitchen. Mom was on the phone, and when she saw me, she pointed to a plate on the table.

" Ah, cucumber slices. My favorite." I took the plate and went to the living room. Paisley already had the TV.

" I come baring gifts! A cucumber slice my lady?" Her face scrunched up. I guess she doesn't want a cucumber. Ungrateful wench.

And that's how my summer began, sitting on the couch eating cucumber slices (I prefer Bagel Bites). I would of loved for it to end this way also, but life just doesn't happen that way. Paisley raced through the channels, trying to find something, anything that would take her mind off of things.

" Do you want to sleep over at my house tonight?" she asks. The channel she had stopped on was playing an episode from a popular cartoon. It captured my interest a little too much.

Paisley started to snap her fingers at me, " Earth to Em."

"What?"

" Do you want to come over or not?"

" Yeah…sure…" I continued to watch the show. I didn't see Paisley get up, and I didn't see a bag full of clothes being hurled at my face until it was too late. Paisley turned the TV off and stood in front of me impatiently.

" That hurt, you know," I whined as I reorganized my bag, " These clothes are slutty. Why did you put them in here? I thought I was just sleeping over, and then going home?"

" Stop whining and let's go." Paisley marched towards the door; I followed in suit. But took a detour upstairs to my parent's room. The door was open, so I walked right in. Dad and Frankie were playing a game of chess.

" Daddy, I'm going to sleep over at Paisley's house. I love you," I wrapped my arms around him. Without hesitation he took out his wallet and handed me twenty-dollars.

" Thank you, dad." I kissed his cheek then left. Paisley was still waiting impatiently by the door. I waved the money in the air, causing her to smile.

* * *

A lot of people I know don't get up early during summer vacation, especially Rodrick Heffley. But particularly on this day, he was ringing my doorbell at 8:00 A.M. Like a normal person who doesn't work, I was sleeping in to cure myself of a hangover. Mom and dad were at work, Frankie was at our neighbor's house, and Luke was somewhere out there in the world. The only person awake to answer the door was Valeria.

"Emma," Rodrick cooed. I opened my eyes to find him sitting on the edge of my bed. I buried my face into the pillow, and praying it was just a dream. Rodrick pulled me out of the bed and onto the floor. I felt like a rag doll, and then I felt bad for all of my stuff animals I threw around when I was little.

Valeria stood in the doorframe watching us. Her eyes were wide, and I didn't understand why until at felt his teeth nip my neck. I scrambled away from Rodrick as fast as I could.

" You…you crossed the friend zone!" I pointed a shaky finger at him. Rodrick laughed then got up from the floor. He offered me his hand, which I declined.

" I only crossed, because I knew that would get you up. Get dressed, because today we are going on an _adventure_." Rodrick flicked my hair as he left the room. I stood gawking at him while he left. Without really thinking, I took a quick shower, got dress, and walked down the stairs. I found Rodrick in my kitchen, digging through the fridge for food.

" I can't leave Valeria here alone," I told him. He smiled like he had planned for this all along, " And your van doesn't have any seats in the back." His smile got wider. " What is it?"

" Didn't you get your license recently?" I know what he was hinting to.

" Yeah, in May. I'm still not that good yet." By some miracle of God, Rodrick was able to convince me that I would do just fine driving. He suggested we take Valeria to Chuck's Fun House, and then he suggested we stop to McDonald's because he was hungry.

" Who's driving again? Oh yeah, me. We're going straight to Chuck's Fun House, no detours."

After they stamped our hands, Valeria ran off to go play in the jungle gym. Rodrick ordered a pizza and got us drinks. We sat at the table awkwardly, Rodrick on one side and me on the other.

" So how's your summer going?" he asked.

I shrugged, " It's going. Everyone is on vacation out of state. My parent's were thinking about going on a vacation to California, but I think my dad and Luke are going up to his college to check out the area."

" What college is he going to? MIT? Duke?" He laughed.

" No, Notre Dame. Because of football."

" Oh?"

" Yeah."

The conversation had died, and no efforts to save it were being enabled. When our food came, I got up to go find Valeria, but Rodrick said he would get her. I sat back down, happily. 5 minutes later, he came back carrying her on his back. It's hard not to smile when you see Rodrick playing with a little kid. He put her down, and she ended up sitting where he was originally siting. Rodrick, a bit confused on where to sit, sat next to me.

Valeria at fast so she could back to play games, and Rodrick ate fast because he was a big. I wasn't a big fan of the pizza here. She finished and left us with half a pizza left. We silently for a while, then Rodrick started a new conversation.

" You're little sister is really cute, and not annoying." I laughed.

" She can be at times, but I guess there are worst."

" Yeah, like Greg." I nudged him in the arm.

" Greg isn't that bad, he's just a little bit of a wimp, no offense."

" None taken. You have some pizza sauce on your face, let me get it."

" Huh?" I turned to him. He used a napkin to get it off, but while doing so, Rodrick was able to get very close to my face. I pushed him away gently. This wasn't the place for this. He backed off fast, and the awkwardness that always follows us appeared.

" Sorry," he mumbled.

* * *

" Emma, come down stairs please," mom called me. I trotted down the stairs lightly and looked for her.

" Yeah?" She motioned me to sit. Dad was at the table also. I prayed that it wasn't about the thing that happened. If it is, Frankie is so going to be my scapegoat.

" You're not in trouble," dad reassured me.

" We know you wanted to go to California to see your aunt, uncle, and cousin, and your dad and I decided that we are going to let you go without us." I smiled. Ok, great, but why are they doing it like it's a drug intervention.

" I just want to know if you want a friend to go with you?"

" All of my friends are away on vacation."

" I thought you and Rodrick were friends?"

Yep, even my parents knew that Rodrick and I were friends again. It happened while we were planning my Sweet 16, and I told them that I wanted Rodrick Heffley there. I never told any one, but I actually felt better having him there. He also got me a pretty cool gift.

" Yeah, we are."

* * *

_"Hello gorgeous. Isn't this a surprise?" _ Rodrick said after answering the phone. He sounded tired.

" Cut the crap Rodrick. Did you parents talk to you tonight?" I asked.

" _They always try to talk to me, but I never listen."_

" I'm being serious."

" _Me too, and it looks like we are going to be airplane buddies soon. The next step is bed buddies. Oh wait, we already accomplished that."_

" Please, just let that go."

" _Just thinking about that makes me so-"_ I hung up the phone, then sighed. I'm going to be living with him for 5 weeks.

**Woohoo! Chapter 1 out of ? is completed. Leave a review, favorite, or follow the story. And if you didn't like it, tell me why so I can improve. Chapter 2 will be up next week, so look out.**


	2. You Can Smother Me Anytime

**Thank you for the reviews, favorites/all of the other stuff, and to the person who said they were going to die if I didn't update soon: Please be alive. I heard hell is hot ;_; **

* * *

We had to be at the airport by 7:00 A.M, but my body woke me up at 3:00 A.M to get ready. I was probably the only person in the neighborhood who was up at this hour. I showered, did my hair, got dressed, and then undressed because the clothes I had put on felt too tight. We are going to be on 6-8-hour flight, skinny jeans is something I'm not going to suffer in. I changed into a hoodie and sweat pants; pulled my hair into a messy bun, and continued the last of my packing.

I had one suitcase, a backpack, and a purse to carry all of the stuff I needed. After finishing, I checked the time. 5:13 A.M. Mom should be getting up soon. She was going to drive Rodrick, Mrs. Heffley, and me to the airport. At 5:30, she came into my room to wake me up.

" Emma-oh, you're already awake. Do you want something to eat?"

" No, thanks. I'll eat when I get there."

" The airport or LAX?"

I never liked using the bathroom on the plane, because it scared me when I was younger, so I always made sure I never ate or drank anything leading up to the flight. I snuck into Luke's room and woke him from his slumber. He glared at me through a crack in his comforter.

" What is your problem?" he hissed.

" Bye," I whispered.

" Leave," he hissed again.

* * *

Mom and I arrived at the Heffley's house and waited fiver minutes before going up to the door. Mrs. Heffley answered. She looked just as tired as my mom, but still managed to smile cheerfully.

" He's all packed, let me just go and-"

" I can do it Mrs. Heffley. I think Rodrick would appreciate it more if I woke him up," I said sliding past her.

" Just don't take up a lot of time, we leave in ten," mom said as I walked up the stairs. Rodrick's door was wide open, was he awake? I entered his room slowly, and thank God, found him fully dressed but sleeping on his bed. I casually stride over to his dormant body.

" Looks like the game has changed, " I referred to the times Rodrick has woken me up. I probably should have thought out this plan before hand. I saw an extra pillow on the other side of his bed, " That will do perfectly." I leaned over him and reached for the pillow, and just as I grasp it, a pair of hands grab my body. Rodrick and I struggled with each other, but I managed to subdue him for once.

As I held the pillow to his face, I whispered loudly enough for him to heat, " There was this Roman Emperor, Caligula, who was smothered to death with a pillow by his own guards. You would know this if you paid attention in our World History class in 9th grade, instead of goofing off with your friend and cheating off of me on tests," I vented to him. I felt better after getting that out. The smothering stopped shortly after-he's alive, don't worry. I sat on his hips, and he rubbed my thighs through my pants.

" I don't know why Caligula was complaining, but being smothered, especially by you, was one of the best things that has ever happened to me," he said seductively. I almost gagged. Rodrick followed me down the stairs, and his dad helped load all of our stuff into my mom's car. Rodrick waved goodbye, then sat in the back with me.

* * *

I thought airport security checks were bad already, but with Rodrick it was a complete nightmare. He kept kicking the back of my shoes with his foot and occasionally will give me a 'flat tire'.

" Emma, can you put my weed in your bag?"

I turned around, " You don't say that here."

* * *

The time now was 6:30 A.M., and we would be boarding in 30 minutes. While Rodrick and I were listening to music on his IPod, my stomach started to growl. After the third time it growled, Rodrick paused the music and looked out me.

" Are you hungry?"

" No," I lied. I could eat an elephant.

" I saw a Starbucks over there, " he pointed down the airport hallway, " Do you want to come with me and get something?" At this point, I didn't care about the airplane bathroom. Rodrick's mom gave us 20 dollars, since my mom gave Rodrick 100 dollars to use on our trip. As we waited in line, I was deciding what I should get: Drink or food? Both?

" Emma?" I was being summoned. I looked up at Rodrick. I think he's been calling me for a while.

" Yes."

" What do you want?" We were second in line.

" Oh, um, a hot grande latte, no whipped cream, and a butter croissant warmed up with cream cheese. Also can you get me some green tea? Thanks, I'll go get us some napkins." I left Rodrick alone to order. I realized that was probably not the wisest thing, but he surprised me when he came back with everything I asked for. We fast walked back to our terminal just as they were boarding the plane. I hugged and kissed my mom goodbye. She took it easier than Mrs. Heffley; probably due to the fact Rodrick never has really traveled this far alone. Mrs. Heffley kept hugging him even when the gate agent asked if we could hurry up. Rodrick's face was in full blush mode. You could hear Mrs. Heffley shout, " I LOVE YOU SWEETIE! TAKE CARE OF EMMA." from inside the hallway leading to the airplane. Rodrick shook his head in embarrassment.

Then came the news no one thought would come. Rodrick and I wouldn't be sitting together. Instead he would be sitting in the front of coach and I would be sitting in the back. I didn't really feel comfortable sitting beside some random guy, and the people we were sitting next to didn't want to switch with us. I owe my mom a lot now, because the airline notified her and she asked if it was possible to upgrade to first class seating. They said yes, but it would cost extra.

It was a little awkward during the first few minutes of the flight. My mom just paid extra money for us to sit next to each other because we had been scared to sit next to strangers. Rodrick brought this up and hearing it being said out loud was funny. I shared my croissant with Rodrick as we watched the first season of Pretty Little Liars on my laptop. Every now-and-then, Rodrick would ask questions. I was so happy he was getting into the show. None of my friends, except Amber and Chase, really cared for the show like I did. I started to feel the crash effect from my latte. The result was falling asleep on Rodrick. I think he continued to watch while I slept on his shoulder.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this second chapter, and if you enjoyed it a lot you should, I don't know, show your appreciation by leaving a review or ****favoring or following. Any suggestions would be cool also. Possible update on Wednesday? Idk. Bye. **


	3. I'll Be More Than Happy To Accompany You

This, this is the reason I don't drink or eat anything before going on flights. The need to pee woke me up. Not only did I have to go to pee, but I was in a different position from I had remembered falling asleep in. My head was resting on Rodrick's lap-sick bastard. One of his hands was on my head stroking my hair and the other was up my hoodie, resting on my lower back. When I moved to get up, he jumped slightly.

I glared at him, but he pretended not to know what happened. Rodrick was still watching the show. He offered me the earpiece, but I refused it. Instead, I looked out the window and checked my phone. I had only been asleep for an hour. That means we have 2 hours before stopping at the airport for our next flight. I fidgeted in my seat, and Rodrick took notice of my actions.

" Are you ok?" he asked after pausing the episode.

" I have to go to the bathroom." His expression changed from curious to annoyed.

" It's right over there, just go." If only it was that easy.

" I don't like airplane bathrooms. They're weird, and disgusting, and they also make me feel claustrophobic."

" You're lying, you don't get claustrophobic. If you were then you would have been freaking out in the closet," Rodrick referred to a party he dragged me to after Paisley and him broke out. He wanted to rebound, so we played 7 minutes in heaven. Rodrick spun the bottle and it landed on me.

I ended up almost being Rodrick's rebound, but it didn't happen. He hooked up with this other girl from another school. They went out for about a week and he ended it. Rodrick claims she was too clingy. And a future rock star, like him, can't have a girlfriend who doesn't let him do what he wants to do.

" Unless you felt a sense of safety while being with me?"

" Don't get any ideas." I looked to where the bathroom was. I will just be in there for a minute. There is nothing to fear from using an airline bathroom. I got up from my seat and had to battled Rodrick's legs.

" You know, I can always go with you." I ignored him and walked to the bathroom. Someone was in it already. I glanced back at my seat and saw Rodrick wave at me. Why did this feel embarrassing? Luckily, after the person came out it didn't smell bad. As promised to myself, I spent no more than a minute in there. When I came out, Rodrick was standing outside. He smirked.

" Can you wait for me? I have a fear of walking to my seat alone."

" But you walked here."

" I walked here from my seat." After Rodrick went inside, I walked back to my seat. Rodrick came back to the seat after a few minutes. And as a 'punishment' for leaving him, Rodrick decided to rest his head on my lap and sleep. The funny thing was that he was so tall, his legs didn't fit on the seat, and so they were dangling in the aisle.

While Rodrick slept, I read a book, and all was peaceful on the plane. Rodrick woke up ten minutes later. This took me by surprise; I thought he would be asleep for the rest of the flight. Rodrick sat up in his seat and looked at me. I just wish that I could one day read a book in front of him without being interrupted.

" Why do you read?" he asked.

" Why do you play the drums?"

" Because it's awesome," he smiled, " But reading isn't awesome. It's boring."

" Maybe you're not reading the right books then."

" Whatever." Rodrick went back sleep on my lap, for good this time.

* * *

**Sorry for the short chapter this time. Next one will have more interesting stuff, instead of Emma's bathroom problems and Rodrick's book problems. Thanks for the reviews! Any ideas on what Emma and Rodrick should do when they get to California? **


	4. So We're Stuck Here TOGETHER? HELL NO!

**I have been meaning to say this for a while now, but I kept forgetting. I know you're not supposed to do this, but I changed Emma's last name. Only the spelling though. 'Night' was bothering me, because I couldn't find anyone with that name. So I changed it to 'Knight'.**

* * *

I hate myself so much. I fell asleep on Rodrick…again, this time for the rest of our flight. A stewardess came by to wake us up, more like wake me up.

" Excuse me, we're about to land," she spoke softly. I could hear the fake smile in her voice. Of course I was the only one to hear what she had said. I got up and managed to mutter a quick thank you. I put my laptop away, gathered all of the trash, and closed our tray tables. The next step was waking up Rodrick.

" Rodrick, time to wake up. We're about to land." I shook him. No signs of life were visible on this human. He may as well have been Mars. I shook him again, and again, and again. Nothing was working. I tried to push his body up, but he was too heavy for me.

" Rodrick, please wake up," I begged. My hand started to stroke his hair, out of habit. It reminded me of when I use to stroke Jasper's hair whenever he would lay his head in my lap. I forgot whom I was touching, so when I looked down, I came to find a very much awake Rodrick smiling up at me.

" Keep going; this is nice foreplay. I'm happy you're starting to catch on," he smirked. My hands stopped touching him immediately. Rodrick frowned then sat up in his seat. The plane descended from the sky, and when it touched the runway, both Rodrick and I were bouncing in our seats. He kept making sexual references through the whole landing.

" Just stay in your seats until we come and get you," the stewardess from before told us. When we were allowed to use our phones, I called my mom and told her we had landed safely. Mrs. Heffley was with her, so I just handed my phone to Rodrick.

" Yes mom, I love you too," he mumbled then hung up. I started to laugh at him, " Don't you even think about it," he warned me. His threat didn't stop me from making a few jokes. After everyone had exited the airplane, the stewardess came to get us. We walked along the terminal hall, and through a window I could see that the sky was engulfed in dark storm clouds. Three flashes of lightening lit up the sky.

Our plane was delayed for an hour, due to the storm, but that hour turned into two hours and two hours turned into five. Eventually they just canceled all flights that were coming in and out of the airport. It didn't really dawn on me till night came that I would be spending the night in an airport with Rodrick. I called my mom to tell her what was going on. She said it wasn't a big deal, and that we would be on the next flight to Los Angeles by morning.

The bright side was that there were other teenagers who were flying alone also. An agent led us to an area that contained three other teenagers who seemed roughly around our age. Rodrick and I stood in the doorframe, looking inside the room.

" God, I hope this isn't like the Breakfast Club," I said under my breath.

" What's the Breakfast Club?" Rodrick looked down towards me.

" Seriously?" His face was a blank canvas waiting for me to paint a picture on it, " It's a movie-we'll watch it later."

Rodrick and I walked slowly over to the small group of other air-grounded teens. I was lucky enough to sit next to an outlet to charge my laptop. Maybe the night will go by faster if Rodrick and I watch a movie? Everyone's-except me-heads were down, looking at their phones. I was reading the book I never finished, and probably will never finish. Someone's stomach growled loudly. I can say, for a fact, it wasn't me this time.

Everyone looked up, and Rodrick-my dear, dear Rodrick-shouted obnoxiously, " When will I get some food? I'm starving in here!" An agent came by and peered into the room.

" Who said that?" he asked. Rodrick stood up and he motioned for him to come over there. The guy was my height, so Rodrick towered over him. Rodrick then pointed at me, and I just couldn't imagine what he was saying. The agent called me over as well, and we started to walk over to the food court. Turns out everyone else in that room had eaten except us.

The agent led us to an area with fast-food restaurants. There was only four I knew of, and probably two that I would actually eat at. The rest were crap. I glanced at Rodrick; he looked focused on what he was going to eat. As Rodrick was about to say something, the agent's walkie-talkie started to go off.

" Heffley and Knight," Rodrick and I looked at each other, "Yeah, they're with me. Food court. Ok, I'm on my way." He motioned for us to follow him. Rodrick looked disappointed about not getting to eat. The whole way back to the room, Rodrick was complaining about how they were treating us like animals.

" Get your stuff," he ordered us. All of the other teens that were in here had disappeared.

" Where did everyone else go?" I asked the agent after he locked the door.

" Home, this was their stop. Family members were caught in traffic."

"Where are we going then?" Rodrick asked. " And when am I going to get food? I demand better service," he went on to protest. The agent ignored Rodrick. He led us to the outside of a building in the airport. The "Candlelight Inn". I guess we were going to stay here.

" You two are very lucky, " Gary, that's the agent's name, said to us.

" Why? Because we don't get to eat?" Rodrick scoffed.

" No, a family member of yours was generous enough to place you guys in a room here. Though, I would prefer to see you sleep on the floor for being such a brat," he shot at Rodrick. Gary could be very mean when he wanted to be. He led us to a room on the 4th floor; I guess we have to share. Gary handed me the key then left. Gary could also be very rude when he wanted to be. I opened up the room door, and Rodrick pushed past me to get in.

" You know, there's a word called excuse me," I said quietly.

" You are going to love this room!" Rodrick shouted from the living area.

" Why?" I laughed then walked over to where he was. The first thing I noticed was the single bed. Rodrick laid spread across it lazily. He sprung up and grabbed one of the hotel's directory things. A smile spread across his face fast. He picked up the hotel phone and ordered food for us. After he was done, he looked at me with the same smile.

"Isn't this great?" he walked over to me. I was confused, so much has happened in the span of 5 minutes. I never had a chance to sit down yet. Rodrick grabbed my hands and led me over to the bed. I laid face down while he watched TV. Two loud knocks were made at the room door. Rodrick got up to answer it.

" Thanks," I could hear him say. Wow, Rodrick actually knows when to say thank you. It must be the end of the world.

" Guess what I have!" he shouted. I didn't respond. I don't even know what he ordered, so when I lifted my head and saw the Chinese food boxes spread on the dinning table, I was kind of happy it was something I liked. We looked threw all of the boxes, deciding what each person would get.

" So what is that movie you were talking about? The Eating Club?"

" It's called the Breakfast Club, and it's about a group of teenagers from different social groups serving Saturday detention." Rodrick shrugged his shoulders. If wasn't interested in it then we didn't have to watch it.

" So tell me about your aunt and uncle," he asked. We sat down on the bed and I told him everything about them.

" My aunt's name is Ashley and my uncle's is Eric. The reason why I'm going to see them was because they couldn't make it for Christmas. Ashley had a business thing in Canada and Eric was going to visit his family while they were there." Rodrick nodded his head. " You'll love their house. It's close to the beach and L.A. Actually, I have a question for you."

" Shoot," he continued to eat.

" Why did you agree to come with me? Did your mom force you?" Rodrick shook his head. I was waiting for his answer, but he didn't give me one. I let it go, knowing that it was probably for a stupid reason.

" What's in hat fridge?" I looked behind me. A mini-fridge was stuffed under a shelf. I put my food down, and got up to check it out. When I opened it, I found some small bottles of alcohol. I pulled them out and showed Rodrick. His eyes widened and a smile spread across his face. I regret showing him this. Rodrick got up and grabbed a bottle from his hand. He attempted to open it.

" Those probably belong to the hotel," I tried to stop him.

" A hotel wouldn't put three bottles of alcoholic beverages in a room they gave to two underage teens. I think the previous people left them in here. Plus, there isn't one of those tag things." Rodrick was able to get the cork off of the wine bottle. He smiled at me and opened the other two bottles. We had vodka, red wine, and whiskey. Rodrick grabbed the vodka and drank from the bottle, his face cringed then a smile appeared. Rodrick held it out for me to take. I sighed then drank as well. We drank and drank until everything was gone. We played music, danced, and laughed. The down side was that we are so going to have hangover tomorrow.

* * *

**Thank you to Drawrfan for the suggestion. It was actually very helpful and I have a draft for that chapter already written out. Thank you. Also, thank you to LonelyPotato for favoring and following. I like your name. So don't forget to favorite, follow, or leave a review. See you next week.**


	5. Teenage Hormones

" Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have begun our descent into Los Angeles, California. The weather is all sunshine and heat. We will be arriving at the gate in about 20 minutes. We'd like our flight attendants to prepare the cabin for arrival. We hope you enjoyed your flight and look forwarded to seeing you fly with us again."

His voice…it was so…I can't even begin to describe how it was. He sounded like one of those 'In a world' type guys. He could read me a bedtime story any night! Our pilot's voice was probably the best part of the flight. It was early in the morning when they woke us up, and so I had to deal with a grumpy Rodrick for the first 30 minutes of our trek before he fell asleep. Now he was awake and blocking the window view.

" Could you move your head out of the way? Actually, move you whole body; I can't see." I tried to pull his body back, but he waved my hand away.

" I can't believe you use to live here," the words fell out of his mouth slowly. Almost as if he couldn't believe I lived in this world where all his dreams were.

" I lived more in Orange County, but-"

" Where the Hell is that?"

" Disney Land. It's near Disney Land," I sighed then slumped back into my seat. It's been weird spending all of this time with Rodrick, even though it's been only about two days. How am I going to manage him being part of my summer? The sudden drop of altitude startled me, causing my hand to accidentally grasp his forearm tightly. Rodrick merely glanced back at me before returning his gaze to whatever was outside the window. I was going to say sorry, but it wouldn't make a difference.

In about 15 minutes we were descending at a faster rate, until we finally touched ground. As always the flight attendant reminded us to stay in our seats until everyone has left.

" What if we just got up and left?" questioned Rodrick. He was fidgeting in his seat a bit. The flight was more crowded than I thought it would be.

From the front of the plane, the gate agent motioned for us to come to her. Rodrick pushed me back in my seat so he could be the first-you know, I don't even know the importance of what he was doing. Despite getting a head start, Rodrick pulled both our bags from the overhead compartment. Unlike the first time, Rodrick didn't lag behind the agent. He was practically by her side.

" Come on, Emma," he would say without turning around every 20 seconds. I gave no response, because I knew this was probably pretty exciting for him. While we waited in the terminal area for my aunt, both Rodrick and I called our parents. Well, he was supposed to call his parents. Instead he called Ben to brag about how awesome it was here. I had to lie to my mom saying his phone had died.

" Emma Knight and Rodrick Heffley?" a woman with long dark brown hair and olive skin read off of a paper. We looked at her, without saying anything.

" Mrs. Caecius is here for you." We stood up and followed the woman to baggage claim where my aunt and her husband were waiting patiently. They had a little sign with balloons attached.

" Oh God, don't tell me they're crazy also," Rodrick mumbled.

" Shut up or I will send you right back to your mother. I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Rodrick closed his mouth. My aunt couldn't contain herself any more and came shuffling over to us in her heels.

" Oh my gosh, look at you! You've grown sooooo much! How is school? And you're friends? Has anyone gotten pregnant yet? That friend of yours, Paisley, is she pregnant?" Rodrick gagged at the remark as she pulled me into a hug. Her perfume flooded my nostrils.

" I'm good,' I choked out. She moved from me to Rodrick.

" And you must be Rodrick. Emma tells me a lot about you. You're much more cuter than she told me."

" Auntie!" I screeched. Rodrick chuckled then put an arm around me. I brushed him off, but his smile remained glowing just like my face. Eric, my aunt's husband, grabbed our bags and we followed them to their car. Ashley chattered on and on about how much fun we were going to have.

Rodrick face was glued to the window the entire car ride. Sometimes he would ask me questions like, " What is that?" or "Is that restaurant good?" I found it easier for me to talk to Rodrick this way. But when he reached the house, he was flabbergasted.

I don't know what Rodrick was thinking exactly, but I can infer that he thought my aunt lived somewhere more exciting, like the beach or downtown LA. Not some plain Jane house in Riverside-he actually doesn't know any other city besides Los Angeles and San Diego. By the time we were inside, Rodrick's attitude to the house changed. What looked ordinary on the outside turned out to be exquisite on the inside. It wasn't very fancy, but did look stylish. Rodrick looked up at the 'almost chandelier' type light that hung above our heads. Eric was already half up the stairs by the time we came to our senses. They had moved since I had last been to California and had not yet seen this house. So for it was a new experience for both Rodrick and me.

" Why don't you two look around, then get ready to go out and eat Californian style," Ashley said before ducking into, what I presumed to be, her and Eric's dual office. My aunt worked for a fashion company in LA, but my uncle worked for The Los Angeles Times, but did most of his work at home. We walked into the living room, the back wall had windows panned across it. Outside there was a small swimming pool with glistening blue water and a hot tub in the corner. I walked away from Rodrick to head upstairs. He caught up to me quickly, but didn't say a word. Now that I think about it, we hadn't said a word since we came into the house.

The second floor had all the bedrooms, and I prayed that Rodrick and I would have separate rooms. It was a relief, for me, to see that our suitcases had been placed in different rooms. Rodrick's room was the closest to the stair, while mine was closer to the bathroom. That was the unfortunate part; we had to share a bathroom. Well, good luck can only go on for so long.

" I'm disappointed that we won't be seeing each other at night," he grumbled while standing in the door frame to my room. I rolled my eyes and closed the door. I didn't want to unpack yet, but I had a feeling if I didn't do it now then my clothes would never leave my suitcase. After unpacking, I wanted to take a shower and get ready for dinner. I opened my door and looked at the bathroom. Had the door been always closed? Is Rodrick in there? I peered down the hall, but couldn't tell. My feet started moving in the direction of his room, after I had decided that it was better to be safe than sorry. His door was closed, and so I knocked two times. The door opened quickly, and behind it stood Rodrick with wet hair and hand grabbing the towel around his waist. I was not ready for this, at all.

" What do you want?" he spat out quickly. Rodrick sounded frustrated and annoyed. My words came out in a disconnected sentence.

" Me shower now." I wanted to go die in a corner and cry. Dammit Emma, you've been locked on a plane with this idiot for hours and you suddenly can't talk to him?

" Good, " and he slammed the door in my face. It's not my fault that he was in a bad mood, or maybe it was? I shook the feeling off and took a shower. Rodrick, going back to the bastard he was, managed to open the locked door and come in while I was showering.

" What the hell are you doing in here? Leave!" I shouted at him.

" Now you know what it feels like when someone invades your privacy," he chuckled.

" You didn't have to answer the door." I heard the bathroom door close, and thought Rodrick had left me alone. I turned the water off and tried to reach for my towel, but I couldn't find it. When I poked my head around the shower curtain, I met Rodrick's devil eyes. In his hand, he held my towel in a taunting type way.

" Give it now." He started to walk over to me, " No, hand it to me at a far distance." he smirked then started to fold it nicely then lay it on the sink countertop. Rodrick left the bathroom, but with the door wide open. My clothes were gone also, so that was out of the question. I took leap of faith, and trusted Rodrick wasn't waiting for me. I was able to grab my towel without any trouble and go back to my room. Rodrick was nowhere to be seen, but the door to his room was closed. I thought that meant he was in his room, but no, he was in mine laying clothes out on the bed.

" Those would look nice on you," he smiled while organizing tonight's outfit.

" You know, you and Paisley have one very specific thing in common with each other." Rodrick rolled his eyes and started to leave the room until I stood in his way. His eyes said move, but I wasn't going to let him.

" You both like to play dress up with me, and I'm sick and tired with it. I am not your personal Barbie doll or therapy counselor." Rodrick grabbed my shoulders and pushed me aside lightly. He walked away without shouting a comeback my way. Did this mean I won a standoff with Rodrick? Damn, I feel pretty confident now. I closed the door and looked at the outfit on my bed. The outerwear isn't anything close to what Paisley makes me wear, but God, that bra and underwear was, err, those were actually a present from someone. I walked down stairs to find everyone waiting on me, I felt embarrassed.

" Are we ready then? Okay, let's go." Ashley walked out of the door first, and we followed her.

The restaurant wasn't anything fancy, just a simple sushi restaurant. We waited outside for 10 minutes before being seated. We were in a more secluded section, but still close enough to the bar for my aunt to get a drink.

" Rodrick, have you ever had sushi before?" Ashley asked him.

He shook his head, " No, it looks disgusting."

Ashley frowned then turned to Eric, " Maybe we should have asked them where they wanted to go?" And that was what happened. We left the restaurant to go eat at an In-N-Out close by. Rodrick was enjoying gauging into three cheeseburgers and fries. Once he had completed indulging himself, Rodrick rested his head on my shoulder. My aunt squealed in her seat. I seriously don't know what Ashley's problem was. Most of the stuff I tell her about Rodrick is bad stuff, but she's just as ignorant as my mother.

" Is there anything you guys want to do while here? We have a lot of time, so it's no rush."

" Let's go ding-dong-ditch celebrity homes, and then maybe one of them might adopt us, " Rodrick said almost half asleep. I laughed, if only that was possible.

" Do you want to go to the beach? It's kind of crowded, but we will have tons of fun."

* * *

While sitting on the bed, reading the book I never finished, there was a knock on my door. " Come in." I called. The door opened then close. Rodrick climbed into bed with me with only boxers on.

" So how are we going to do this, " he whispered while leaning his entire body towards me. I fell off of the bed, trying to back away. He laughed at my reaction.

" Night," he kissed the top of my head then rustled my hair.

* * *

**Thanks again to anyone who did something to motivate me to write this chapter. Some are easy, and others are a pain in my butt. So leave a review again, or if you're a shy person like me then favorite, follow, or whatever the other option is.**


	6. Hey Cutie What's Your Major? FRENCHFRIES

Rodrick and I sat awkwardly on opposite sides of the couch as my aunt chatted away on the phone. From what I could tell, it was a business negotiation gone terribly wrong. After several minutes of sighing and mumbled swear words, she hung up. Ashley walked slowly over to us. I already knew what she was going to say; her face had 'sorry' written all over it.

" I have some bad news. I can't take you to the beach," she said slowly while fiddling with the sleeve of her blouse, " Maybe Eric can take you!" her fast paced speech patterns started up again. Ashley left for her husband's study/office. She returned looking gloomier than ever," He can't." Ashley stood in front of us, thinking for a few minutes. Restless, Rodrick got up and went to the bathroom. When he was gone, she sat down next to me.

" I didn't want to say it while he was here, but if you guys really want to go to the beach then I can lend you my car, " she spoke softly but with a relaxed tone. She was definitely my mother's sister. Before handing me the keys to her mini cooper, Ashley had one last thing to say, " But if you crash or damage my car in anyway, I will send you back to your mother in a coffin." Of course she was joking, but I still promised to be careful. Ashley left soon after, leaving me alone on the couch with her cat rubbing against my legs. Rodrick emerged from the bathroom 10 minutes later.

" You were gone for like 15 minutes," I said handing over a bag for him to carry.

" Why are you keeping track of how long I'm in the bathroom for? I had to take a shit, ok? God, what is this, elementary school?"

" TMI."

" TMI?! You were timing me!"

" Calm down and let's go." I started to walk to the front door.

" Where did Ashley go?" Rodrick trailed behind me.

" She went to work or something, but we are still going to the beach." When Rodrick didn't respond by the time I got to the car, I turned around to see what he was doing. Rodrick was gawking at the yellow mini cooper behind me. My fingers pressed down on the keys, and the car horn beeped.

" You're joking, right?" Rodrick sneered.

" Are you coming or not?" I got in and started the car. Rodrick complied and got in after putting the stuff in the back. Once in the car, Rodrick pushed the black sunglasses that he purchased from the airport convenient store onto his face. I assumed he was going to sleep instead of help navigating me to the beach, but it didn't happen that way. 30 seconds into driving, he was flipping through the radio stations.

" 102.7 plays some good music. It's pop though so-" A guitar solo cut me off. Rodrick had found one of those heavy metal stations. " Could you at least help me with directions?" I pleaded over the singer's voice. From the corner of my eye, I could see him faced in my direction. Rodrick was probably glaring at me through those stupid sunglasses. He took my phone and lowered the volume despite putting up a fight.

" Where are we going?"

" Long Beach."

" That's an hour away! Why not go somewhere closer, like, uh, Huntington or Newport?"

" I hate those places, besides I think we would have more fun at Long Beach."

"Wow, when did you become the fun meister? How about Malibu? I heard the chicks there are hot." I was starting to become irritated.

"That's too far away. I don't think Ashley would appreciate us going that distance. Let's just stick with the original plan. "

The beach wasn't too crowded when we got there. Perhaps because there were some dark clouds in the distance, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that I was able to find free parking and Rodrick helped carry both of our bags. As we walked along the sand, I looked for a place to sit. Should we go closer to the water, or stay a little ways back?

" You know this stuff is heavy?" he complained. I ignored him and decided we should go closer to the water. I pointed my finger to a spot to instruct Rodrick where to put our stuff down.

After literally dropping our stuff Rodrick muttered," I'm going to go get some food," he sauntered off to food stand we saw back when we first arrived. I didn't really mind putting towels down and stuff. After I laid the towels out, I took off my shirt and shorts that covered my swimsuit. Before leaving Ohio, a friend from school and I went to the mall to shop for clothes. We had bought several different bikinis. Daniel bought a white bikini with a bow in between the boobs and another with a floral pattern. I purchased a strapless, I have a fear of people pulling the strings, twist front blue one and a black strapless with fringes. She too was going on a trip, except it was Hawaii. I thought it would be cool if she were traveling to California too. We could have hung out or something.

I pulled out my phone and took a selfie for all of my social media accounts, but Rodrick came back in time to photobomb my picture. " Post that shit. Caption it 'Chilling with the bae at the beach #lovehim #beachday #caliswag'," Rodrick laughed. I typed in a quick caption and read it to him.

" How about 'chilling with this bastard today #saveme #fuckmylife'? What filter should I use?"

" Totes Valencia. It's sooo fetch," I laughed at Rodrick's voice. He sounded close to a snobby teenage girl.

" Do you have an Instagram? I want to tag you. " He took my phone and tagged himself.

Rodrick sat beside me quietly as I took pictures of the surrounding area. I then pulled out my dad's camera he gave me, and started to take pictures with it. Three girls walked in front of us, and Rodrick, unexpectedly, ran over to them, leaving me looking like a loner. I could hear them laugh at whatever he was saying.

" Rodrick, come here," I called to him. After he glanced at me, the three girls turned around. I wish I never had said anything. I looked away to fiddle with my phone. Rodrick came back a minute later, glaring at me. He had a 'fuck you' expression. I shrugged my shoulder then turned onto my stomach. May as well get a tan while I'm here. Something cold dripped onto my back, causing my to squeal. Rodrick was hovering over me with a horrible look on his face.

" Please tell me that is tanning lotion or something." I tried to roll over, but his hands held me down.

" Don't worry, I wouldn't do anything to embarrass my _girlfriend_," he said through clenched teeth.

" What?"

" Well, that's what those girls said. They think you are my girlfriend, so why shouldn't I now treat you as if you are me girlfriend?" He started to laugh which made me uncomfortable.

" You know, I bet there are a lot of girls at the beach today, so if you really are hell bent on finding your one night stand then go and find her!"

Rodrick stopped touching me and stood up, " Maybe I will!" he stormed off to the north part of the beach. I sighed then picked up my book and started to read. _He's gone now, Emma. You can relax and finish reading the book. No more distraction. No more Rodrick. No more-OH MY GOD THERE IS A SEAGULL DIGGING THROUGH MY BAG! _I scrambled over to my bag just as the bird pulled out the sandwich I had packed. It's too late now, I should go back to reading. I checked the time on my phone. He's been gone for 15-the beach is a big place. It's totally normal for him to be gone this long, besides the only thing I'm worrying about is I.

I brushed the sand off of my book and started to read again. The book is slow in some parts and little information is revealed about the characters, but when there is some type of action or conflict, it's hard to put down. My attention span faded, and I looked at the small waves crashing into the water below. The hot sun above made the water sparkle in a memorizing way. The sunset will make the water look even more beautiful. I sensed movement behind me. I'm going to ignore Rodrick for the rest of the day. I don't care how much he complains or whines about me messing up his chances, I will not let him ruin my beach day. His hands started to massage my shoulder gently. It feels so nice and relaxing.

I leaned my body back into his. If Rodrick is willing to be nice to me, then I'm willing to be nice to him. His tattooed arms wrapped around my waist and he-wait, tattooed arms? Rodrick doesn't have any tattoos. I turned around to see someone totally different from Rodrick. He smiled at me and apologized.

" Sorry I didn't say anything. You just seemed so comfortable and I didn't want to creep you out. I saw you sitting here all alone. What's a pretty girl like you sitting on the beach by yourself? Friends ditch you or something? I also saw that seagull take your sandwich so I was going to buy you a hotdog, but I didn't know if you were vegetarian or not. I have french-fries if you want them. Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. The name is Trey. What about you?"

What is going on? Am I getting hit on at the beach? I looked around for any sign of Rodrick; he was still missing. Maybe it's a good thing he isn't here. " M-my names Emma and I like french-fries," I responded. God, I sound like an idiot. He chuckled, so maybe Trey thought that was cute. He pushed the plate my way and I picked up a fry. With a smile across his face, he held out a plastic cup. Without thinking I took a sip from it. It tasted like lemonade but had the bubbly sensation of soda. Then I remembered what my dad told me when I went to my first high school party.

" _Remember, never drink anything offered to you; even if they seem nice. Funerals cost a lot of money."_

I handed Trey back his drink.

" I'm not here alone. My friend just went for a walk or something." I pulled my knees up to my chest.

" Yeah, I feel you. Friends can be a bummer at the beach sometimes."

" I like your tattoos. Do they have any meaning?"

" Nah, most of them are for design. Well, now that I think about it, this one is because my mother liked this kind of flower. Oh, this one is to commemorate when I bought my first car." As Trey kept pointing out his tattoos and talking about them, I started tor realize he may be older than I thought he was. He also had a slight beard, but I know some people who were seniors, like my brother, had facial hair.

" How old are you?"

" 20 years young. I'll be able to drink legally on July 2. Right before Independence day! This summer is going to be awesome." I stared at him. He's older than my oldest cousin.

" So what college do you go to? I know this question is lame, but what's your major?"

" What college do _you _go to?"

He chuckled, " Cute, answering a question with a question. My alma mater is going to be UCLA after I graduate. I am majoring in engineering. Now how about you?"

" Oh, well, I'm n-"

" Who is this?" I turned around to see Rodrick standing over us with some bottle blonde in a polka dot bikini hugging his waist.

" Trey, and you are?" His politeness threw Rodrick off guard. Looks can be deceiving.

" Baby, who is that?" the blonde looked at me. Baby? Baby?! Who is this girl and why is she calling Rodrick _baby_? Don't tell me of all the girls he could of picked up a the beach, this was the only one who actually was willing to fuck?

" That's my friend. We've been friends since preschool."

" Like hell we have!"

Trey stood up and his height matched Rodrick's perfectly. " You're the friend who left Emma alone for so long. Did you know a seagull attacked her? She also could have suffered from a sunburn if I wasn't here to massage sunscreen into her shoulders, and would have fainted from dehydration or starvation if I had not supplied her with food."

" Jesus, I told you we didn't need those stupid sandwiches. And for your information _Trey_, I bought food for us when we first got here and I did put sunscreen on her back."

" You didn't offer me any food and you literally just put sunscreen on my back and smeared it around." Trey sat back down and put his arm around me. Rodrick started to throw a temper tantrum at the scene. I guess he only brought this girl back to show her off to me.

" Emma was just about to tell me what college she goes to," Trey chimed.

" Oh about that-"

" Rodrick said that they go to Stanford. Isn't that impressive, Trey?" the blonde blurted out. I can't believe Rodrick said he goes to Stanford. Also, I can't believe he stole my dream college!

"Wait, Kayla, do you know him?" She nodded her head.

" We were high school sweethearts freshmen year." Things just became extremely awkward for everyone.

" Rodrick, can I talk to you privately for a second?" We stood up and walked couple yards away from the real college students.

" What the hell are you thinking?" I wanted to slap him, but that wouldn't look good for neither of us.

" It's summer. They don't have to know we are juniors in high school. At least I came up with a school that's real," I started to shake my head in protest, but Rodrick grabbed my shoulder tightly, " Just for tonight. Let me have fun just for tonight and tomorrow Kayla will be gone."

" I understand, but Trey-"

" But trey what? Do you think he really wants to get to know you. I'll share a little secret with you," he pulled my head close to his face.

" All he wants to do is fuck you." I pushed Rodrick away from me. I understood what he meant, but still. " If you don't give it to him, he won't leave you alone until he gets some. This can be all over by tonight if you just go along. Kayla said that there if going to be a party at one of the houses. Don't you want to go to a college party for once? Let's make memories tonight!"

I looked over at Trey. He and Kayla were staring at us, probably wondering what is happening. Trey seemed like an ok guy, I guess one little party couldn't hurt.

**I wanted to write more, but I think this is a good place to leave off. I'm sorry for not updating last week. My religion teacher had us do volunteer work in the woods, and I am highly allergic mold. You can guess the rest. Thank you to those who favorite, followed, and reviewed. How about we do it again? See you next week!**


	7. disgruntled noises

**Please don't think I gave up on this story or something. As you know I was sick for two weeks, and now have boatload of writing assignments to do plus a powerpoint project. *sighs* The next chapter is halfway done, but I don't have time to write for maybe another week or two. I am so so sorry. I really wanted to post a new chapter last weekend, but shit happens. The funny thing is that this author's note has more words than my essay I've been trying to write for 4 days. Thank you for understanding. **


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